Mia turned as Tyler entered the kitchen, yawning, rubbing sleep from
his eyes, yanking his shirt down. She looked at the clock (8:00) and then
at the face with cuts scabbing over. He was lucky stitches weren't needed.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"Always."
"What do you want?"
"Anything."
"Orange juice, milk, coffee, water, sewage."
"Java- elixir of champions."
Charge the pot then. Black?"
"Nah, I'm a weakling. Load it with sugar and milk bitte."
"How much sugar?"
"How many walls do you want foot prints on?" The banter continued up until Mia hesitated in the doorway of the bathroom, after giving Tyler some shower things. "Jesse said you got hit in the ribs. Mind if I look?"
Tyler faltered. He removed his baggy black Staind shirt slowly. His chest was discolored black and blue with yellow peering through at different points. Little scars pockmarked his arms and chest but a pink scar seemed to cover the most area on his right shoulder, though the long scar horizontal to bellybutton had to be taken into consideration. "Dos Mio," whispered Mia. "What happened to you?" "Fights. Streets. My dad."
"Even that," she leaned forward to touch the belly scar. Tyler flinched as her long finger traced the scar. Tyler shook his had. "That's from an operation I had as a kid." "Oh." Mia broke off the topic, realizing Tyler probably didn't want to talk about this. "Your ribs just looked bruised so I'll let you shower and then we'll go to the shop, ok?"
"OK," he whispered, turning away. She glimpsed his back before the door closed and blocked off what she saw in the mirror. His back mirrored his chest in beatings and scars.
"Always."
"What do you want?"
"Anything."
"Orange juice, milk, coffee, water, sewage."
"Java- elixir of champions."
Charge the pot then. Black?"
"Nah, I'm a weakling. Load it with sugar and milk bitte."
"How much sugar?"
"How many walls do you want foot prints on?" The banter continued up until Mia hesitated in the doorway of the bathroom, after giving Tyler some shower things. "Jesse said you got hit in the ribs. Mind if I look?"
Tyler faltered. He removed his baggy black Staind shirt slowly. His chest was discolored black and blue with yellow peering through at different points. Little scars pockmarked his arms and chest but a pink scar seemed to cover the most area on his right shoulder, though the long scar horizontal to bellybutton had to be taken into consideration. "Dos Mio," whispered Mia. "What happened to you?" "Fights. Streets. My dad."
"Even that," she leaned forward to touch the belly scar. Tyler flinched as her long finger traced the scar. Tyler shook his had. "That's from an operation I had as a kid." "Oh." Mia broke off the topic, realizing Tyler probably didn't want to talk about this. "Your ribs just looked bruised so I'll let you shower and then we'll go to the shop, ok?"
"OK," he whispered, turning away. She glimpsed his back before the door closed and blocked off what she saw in the mirror. His back mirrored his chest in beatings and scars.